In the Winter 2014 issue of YALS readers will get the chance to learn about badges in an article by Sheryl Grant, Director of Social Networking for the HASTAC/ MacArthur Foundation Digital Media and Learning Competition. The article provides a great overview of what badges are all about and how you can use them in your own professional development, as well as with the teens with which you work.

But, reading about badges isn’t all you can do to learn about them. At the ALA Midwinter 2014 Meetings in Philadelphia, YALSA is sponsoring a program all about their new badging system. You’ll get to learn how the system works and how you can get involved in earning badges as a part of your own, or your colleagues, professional development. The program is on Sunday, January 26 from 8:30 to 10AM in room 108B at the Philadelphia Convention Center.

YALSA currently has about 35 testers working on the three badges already in place. The testers are providing feedback on what works and doesn’t work in the badge earning process. At Midwinter 2014 if you want to be a tester too, you can let us know at the program that you are ready, willing, and able.

Last week YALSA published a white paper titled The Future of Libraries for and with Teens: A Call to Action. The white paper was the culmination of a year-long process (funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services) that brought a variety of people together to talk about the future of libraries and teens.

Co-author of the paper Maureen Hartman said, “It was so inspiring watching, listening and reading conversations between librarians, partners and teens. While all voices affirmed the great work libraries are doing with teens, they also all pointed libraries in the same inspiring direction–as institutions that, with the right kinds of changes, can lead the way in supporting young people’s success–now and in the future.”

The publication of the white paper is not the end of YALSA’s work on helping library staff work with teens today and into the future. Now the association is starting a new phase in which the association and leaders in the fields of libraries, teens, and education will develop tools, resources, and provide assistance for moving into the future successfully. A first step in this next phase is a program at Midwinter 2014 (Sunday, January 26, Pennsylvania Convention Center Room 103A, from 3:00 – 4:00 PM) on the white paper and ways in which library staff can integrate the ideas of the paper into their work.

White paper co-author Hartman is organizing the Midwinter program which will include opportunities for discussions among participants on successfully using the white paper recommendations in their day-to-day work situations. As Hartman also said, “…it’s so exciting to be at the beginning of new conversations about libraries and teens–reading tweets and seeing quotes that are already causing people to think differently. Participating in The forum and writing the paper was such a great experience, but I’m looking forward to all the conversations to come just as much.”